Gadsden, AL - The field in front of Goodyear Heights Baptist Church in Gadsden is now home to 954 baby dolls tied to stakes.  Church leaders say they represent the number of lives lost to abortion in Alabama each month.  Youth Pastor Blake Champion says, "They can't be heard.  They are a silent victim and we are trying to be a voice for these innocent children."  A Sunday School class at the church organized the project.  Members say 47 abortions are performed in Alabama everyday.  Since June 1, 47 dolls have been added to the field each day.  Church members have been met with some resistance.  Champion says, "They come by and knock them down with baseball bats.  We had 60 of them knocked down the other night in one area."  Kathy Wilson says she agrees with the message, but disagrees with the method used to convey it.  "Crosses would be fine, but not the dolls.  It's real hard for mothers to explain to their little girls why baby dolls are out on sticks in the middle of a field."  Champion says, "When you see a baby on a stake, it opens your eyes to this is actually a life.  It's a doll, but it represents the life of a child today that has been killed today in Alabama."  Church deacons will vote this weekend on whether to take down the dolls or leave them up.  It's possible the dolls, stakes, and banners may be passed on to another church in Alabama.

 Email To Friend